Made the run to Los Algodones this morning. For those who have never been there, the sidewalks are crowded with people trying to usher you into a place of business. I checked several eye glass stores and found one that will give you an exam and make your glasses for $100. They all seemed to be about the same price but came down $10-$20 when I said I wanted to shop around. The agreed upon price is less than 1/2 of what I paid for my current pair! Heading back Thursday morn. I wanted to have something to eat so ordered 1 taco. It was $1.25 and the smallest taco I have ever seen. I quickly ordered 2 more! They were still setting up when I entered but were happy to serve me. Even the keyboard player jumped up and played me a couple tunes! It is best to have cash. I did not have enough to pay for glasses. That is why I am going back on Thursday! They will be ready in less than 2 hours so it looks like I will be having tacos for Thanksgiving. Carry lots of 1's for tips! Be sure to have a passport for re-entry. Be cautious around the crossing guards because if they were in a good mood today I would not to see one in a bad mood! For today's bird list, click here:
Senator Reservoir bird list 11-20-17
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I left Quartzsite Sunday morning. It was too far from any birding hotspots and the I-10 noise was a bit too much. I decided to move to South Mesa LTVA. It is another BLM site that is right next to Senator Wash reservoir about 60 miles south of my current location. It is on the California side of the nearby Colorado river. The site is also near several other lakes and marshes so there is plenty of birding. It has a dump site and potable water. The camping area is a flat rocky mesa with very little vegetation.
It covers a 6000 acre area so plenty of room for privacy it you want. I am camped close to the reservoir. Unfortunately all the lake view spots are taken by first comers. There are nice views on the opposite side of the camp looking toward the Colorado river. The 14 day pass I purchased at Quartzsite is good here so no additional costs. It is less than 30 miles to Yuma, Arizona and Los Algodones, Mexico. I am heading for both today. Los Algodones to check on the price of new eye glasses. I have been told by others that they are good quality and very inexpensive! I broke the key off in one of the RV's external bins so am going buy new locks and keys in Yuma at Home Depot. I did have a good bird outing here. I spotted several species that are rare to this location. To see my bird list, click here:
Senator Wash 11/19/17 bird list Here is a pic of a Rock Wren.
and a Gray Flycatcher
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Today I went birding at the Cibola NWR. It is about a 90 mile round trip. The refuge offers auto routes and walking paths. I went to the refuge headquarters and drove the auto route, stopping to walk a path that looped to a small lake and back. It passes thru a lot of trees so you have an opportunity to see a good variety of birds. I was able to identify 42 species in 2.5 hours. To see today's list which has a number of pics, including Sandhill cranes, click here:
Cibola NWR bird list for 11-18-17 I did add a life list bird today, a Vesper Sparrow.
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Friday I traveled to Quartzsite and set up camp. Not much to look at! 1000's of acres of mesquite and rock. I set up by a wash so one side is treed and shady.
The rest of the area looks like this:
I am at the La Posa North LTVA. It is $40 for 14 days or $180 for the season which goes from mid Sept to mid Apr. There are about 6 different areas that your pass is good for and you can move to any of the others at any time. The La Posa South site has a waste water dump and potable water that you can use no matter which site you stay at. If you choose to stay in the north site, you will have a lot of traffic noise form I-10. It was a steady rumble all thru the night. Tomorrow I am going to check out some of the others sites. It is not very crowded yet but I hear that will change after Christmas. Driving around, it appears there is plenty of BLM that you can disperse camp on without payment but then you will have to find a place and pay at some local waste site to dump and refill on water. While driving around, I notice a number of RV parks with signs that read as low as $199 a month for full hookups. Most are just large gravel lots without the mesquite!
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Not much to report in the order of birding today. I hiked the Buckskin trail which goes over some rocky hills. Lots of small canyons with Palo Verde trees. The trail makes about a 1 mile loop from the campground. I looked diligently for birds but only saw 1 sharp-shinned hawk. Later I decided to focus on lizards as there are a number of species in this area. I located 4 but I think they were all the same species! I believe these are both Spiny Desert Lizards.
I mentioned yesterday that there is not much highway noise which is true but the boats that race up and down the river sound like they are powered by jet engines! Another thing to be aware of if you stay here is get a campsite far away from the entrance. They waste water processing plant is right by me and even the fragrance from the Sweet Acacia trees don't help! Heading to Quartzsite tomorrow for more dispersed camping.
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Left Craggy Wash and now I am at Buckskin Mt State Park just south of Lake Havasu. This is a beautiful park built on the bend of the Colorado River. Even though it is close to Hwy 95, the road noise is block by a small hill the you circle coming into the park!
Site range from $33 to $43 depending on the type of hookups you want. It has a dump station if you just want to stop and empty yours, it is $15. The rest rooms are clean and they have showers as well. There are several trails to hike. The longer ones take you out over Hwy 95 on a pedestrian footbridge. Not only are there lots of birds but there are some sweet smelling trees where dozens of Monarch, Queen and Fritillary butterflies congregate. Looking forward to spending the next couple days here!
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Another great day of birding and exploring the Lake Havasu area. Besides seeing lots of birds, we also saw this female Desert Bighorn sheep near Parker Dam which is at the south end of the lake.
Also saw this butterfly.
I believe it is a Hydraspe Fritillary Butterfly. And this days blog is not complete without at least 1 bird pic!
It blends so well, if we hadn't seen it fly into the brush, I would have never spotted it!
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I went birding this morning at North Pittsburgh Point on Lake Havasu. I was able to added another species for this county, Common Goldeneye:
This brought my Mohave County bird count to 88. I only need two more to be tied for 100th place.
Along the shore of Lake Havasu, the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club have built a number of replicas of lighthouses in North America. Here is a pic of one and the dedication plaque:
If you are interested in learning more about the club and seeing pics of the rest of their lighthouse replicas, you can click on this link:
Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club
After birding at the Point I met up with John West at Rotary Park. His birding experience and knowledge of the area are great asset. I was able to get 2 more species for this county thus I am now tied for 100th place, with 3 others, for Mohave county. I thought I had gotten a 4th species and a new Life list bird when we saw this species:
Although it is a beautiful bird it turns out to be a 1st year female Vermilion Flycatcher. If you scroll down a couple days in this blog you can see a male Vermilion Flycatcher pic. I also got saw this beautiful Queen's butterfly:
John and I are headed south to Bill Williams NWR tomorrow.
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Went birding this morning at Castle Rock Bay. No Life birds but I added 7 new species for Mohave County bringing my total to 87. I need 3 more to get into the top 100 for this county. I may have to stay a couple more days! You can see todays ebird list and pics by clicking here:
Castle Rock Bay 11/12/2017 I did get to watch a pair of coyotes run and play. I tried to get a video but I was too slow and they disappeared into the brush.
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Took yesterday off to do laundry and grocery shop. Kiowa Coin-Op laundry is a great place to clean your clothes. The building was very clean and only $1.75 to wash and 25 cents for 6 minutes for the dryer. Walmart is about two miles from camp making it easy to get all I need.
I was back out birding this morning. I went to Rotary Park in Lake Havasu City then to Castle Bay on the way back to camp. I ID'ed my first Cactus Wren today bring my life list to 254 species. I have added 25 species so far this trip! Here is a pic of the wren:
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Today I went birding with John West, who lives in the Lake Havasu City area. We had breakfast at the Topock Marina on the old Route 66. Good food and friendly service! Birding was great! I added 3 new birds to my life list. A Gila Woodpecker, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker and an Ash-throated Flycatcher. You can see pics of these bird on my ebird list here:
Bird list for Nov 8 2017. We also saw this beautiful animal! A hooded skunk.
We gave it plenty of space! Also saw several coyotes but I was not quick enough to get any pics!
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Currently birding in the Lake Havasu area. Some of you may already know about this area. For those who do not, this is where the London Bridge ended up!
This is a beautiful area. There is a wide selection of eateries with a good mix of national chains and local favorites. It is very welcoming to Snowbirds with lots of places to stay. The cost to camp in this area varies widely. From free BLM camping in Craggy Wash to RV parks with full hookups and a scenic Lake Havasu view. I am camped at Craggy Wash.
Birding here is great as well. The 2 birding hotspots for Mohave county are here. Lake Havasu North end Viewpoint and Rotary Park. I was able to get my first pic of a male Vermilion Flycatcher at Rotary Park! To see more bird pics and one of my ebird list from Rotary Park, click here:
Rotary Park Nov 7 2017
Craggy Wash is rocky and arid with mesquite trees and various cacti. Being from Oregon, where many trees are +100 ft, I find it difficult to label mesquite as a tree but part of the fun of travel is experiencing different flora and fauna. Here are Mesquite trees and a couple of cacti found locally.
